New Delhi, May 27: With the number of 83,004 active cases of COVID19, the total number of cases in India has crossed the mark of 1.5 lakh on Wednesday. The total number of 64,425 people are cured and 4,337 people lost their lives. Among all the states in the country, Maharashtra recorded the highest number of COVID19 cases.

Meanwhile, the Union Ministry of Health and Family welfare informed on Tuesday that the country’s recovery rate has been steadily improving while the fatality rate is among the lowest in the world. COVID-19 Vaccine Research: The Serum Institute Begins Trial of Recombinant BCG Vaccine.

Whereas the testing rate has also ramped up in the last three months, the ICMR informed.

Here What Expert Says

The former Secretary-General of Indian Medical Association, Dr Narendra Saini discussed the present status of novel coronavirus in India and how the next two months of June-July will be crucial.

Recovery rate

Dr Saini said, “The recent recovery rate is a very good rate. Today we have around 1.5 lakh of COVID19 cases which is very low compared to other parts of the world. So, we are on the right path”.

Lockdown

Lockdown cannot be extended for a long period of time. The basic principles of lockdown are to prepare for the worst. It means if the number of cases going to rise then at the lockdown point you will see how you can prepare yourself for the beds, ventilators and getting people more aware and that period is over now. It's time to come out of the lockdown and at the same time wherever the number of cases rising there should be a proper containment zone. Putting the whole country in lockdown now is not advisable, he said.

The Month of June-July

Dr Saini added, “The cases are going to rise because people are now coming out but the most important is how we prepared ourselves in the period of lockdown. The month of June to July will be a very important period that how we have prepared ourselves”.

Other Common Diseases During Summer

During the summer people will be thinking that might corona will go away because of the heat but since it's a novel virus it will not go down as we seeing the number of cases is increasing, Dr Saini said.

Symptoms of common cough and cold will be almost the same as COVID19 but we have to see the clinical picture of symptoms. Serious symptoms do not happen but in corona, there will be difficulty in breathing. So, through this normal cold and cough can be differentiated from corona, he informed.

Dr Saini said, “There will also be a challenge of other diseases that usually happens in summer season like dengue, malaria and food borne illnesses. These two months of June and July will be a challenging time but coronavirus is going to exist, it will not be gone to fade away”.

Precautions to Take

As per Dr Saini, if precautions are not taken, not only coronavirus but any other communicable illness can occur because of poor hygiene and close contact with infected people.

Following precautions should be taken:

1. Maintain proper social distance.

2. Using a mask is very important.

3. Hand hygiene is the single most important thing not only for corona but for other infected diseases whether it comes in summer or it comes in winters. Hand hygiene will protect from communicable diseases, he said.

4. Disinfect your surroundings.

5. Always wash vegetables or fruits before using.

These basic things will not only keep coronavirus away but also fight the other diseases which are common during this period of summer, Dr Saini informed. Arogya Setu app will be very helpful to know about the containment zone and the nearest hospital to contact, he added.

Vaccination

Dr Saini said, “This is the first time in the history of any illnesses where more than 100 different countries and organisations have registered with WHO that they are working on a vaccination part. If look at the history, we can assume that the minimum time taken to get a vaccine is 5 years. We can surely hope that in the present modern era the vaccine might come a bit earlier, but we have to understand whenever a vaccination comes it has to undergo various processes. There are various trials and once get finalised, various manufacturing challenges come. Thus the minimum time will take around 6-7 months for the vaccination to come”.

Testing Rate

We have to increase testing; no doubt in the last week more than 1 lakh test per day had been done which is an improvement in our case. The transmission rate of coronavirus is very high. More testing is still required to detect more cases as we have no vaccine right now, he added.

Face Cover is Important

The Common citizen does not need N95 mask and even where people are at home quarantine, surgical mask is sufficient. A common man only needs a face cover. A face cover means it should cover mouth and nose. Such covers can be easily made at home but keep changing it because hygiene is really important to fight this pandemic, Dr Saini informed.

(This article has been sourced from Prasar Bharati News Services as part of Coronavirus coverage)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 27, 2020 11:22 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).